Chelsea football club has lately shown interest in the 23-year-old Emile smith Rowe from Arsenal as Mauricio Pochettino looks to add another versatile attacker to his ranks following a rash of injuries.
Christopher Nkunku is out of action until the end of the year and Armando Broja is still recovering while Carney Chukwuemeka picked up an injury against West Ham last week and Mykhailo Mudryk is also sidelined.
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Chelsea have been in talks with a couple of potential new additions, with Barcelona duo Raphinha and Ferran Torres, the latest to be linked with moves, while the Blues also explored deals for Brennan Johnson and Bradley Barcola before ending their interest.
Now Arsenal academy graduate Smith Rowe is emerging as a genuine and main target before Friday’s transfer deadline, though talks are not thought to be at an advanced stage just yet.
The England international is a firm fans’ favourite at the Emirates and supporters would be loathe to lose him to a London rival, but The Times are reporting that Arsenal could let him leave.
Why the Gunners need to sell Smith Rowe
The Gunners need to raise funds to comply with Financial Fair Play and would be willing to cash in on Smith Rowe who would likely command a fee in excess of £40million.
Surprisingly, the report actually claims that Arsenal are actively looking forward to selling the attacking midfielder and at such have offered him to several unnamed Premier League clubs.
The player himself is open to leaving having become frustrated with a lack of opportunities under Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta, and he is yet to feature in the Premier League this season.
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He was brought in to play for just three minutes against Manchester City in the Community Shield and has fallen dramatically down the pecking order at Arsenal in the last 12 months.
Injuries and a lack of match sharpness when he returned, when the Gunners were locked in a title battle, the coach restricted Smith Rowe to just 12 Premier League appearances last season, all of which were off the bench. He now appears to be behind both Leandro Trossard and Fabio Vieira in Arteta’s thinking.
In his best season at the club, the 2021/22 campaign, Smith Rowe netted 10 times in the league and he showed flashes of that form over the summer with some exciting performances for England’s Young Lions as they won the Under-21 European Championship.
Rowe’s pattern of play and how it can help Chelsea
Arsenal’s former head of academy recruitment, Steve Morrow, described Smith Rowe to be “very direct, always looked forward, had a lovely touch, very clever in possession. He is always full of energy and work rate, and come alive on the ball.”
Mark Hudson, the former first-team coach at Huddersfield Town, was also impressed by Smith Rowe, “He drifts past people. He does not look quick but he is and it is with the ball which is brilliant.
He naturally glides across the ground and he takes the ball in his stride. He has good vision and a good understanding of the game.”
With the above attributes, Smith Rowe could be an asset to Chelsea’s attacking midfield. Chelsea has built up good midfield in this summer.
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The move for Smith Rowe will spice things up in Chelsea’s midfield. The attacking midfielder will help to read the game properly and take decisions that can amount to goals and points. He should be able to calculate the attacker’s movements and drop passes that are useful.
A brief Run down of Smith Rowe’s profile and statistics
Emile Smith Rowe (born 28 July 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Premier League club Arsenal and the England national team.
He was a highly regarded youth player at Arsenal, whilst also playing a key part for England in their successful FIFA U-17 World Cup campaign in 2017. Smith Rowe’s professional breakthrough came in 2018, as he made an immediate impression at senior level for Arsenal, scoring several times in his first games.
In January, Smith Rowe moved to Bundesliga’s RB Leipzig on loan, playing just 3 times due to a recurring groin injury, despite this, the German club lobbied unsuccessfully for a permanent move.
On July 2019, Smith Rowe returned to rehab at Arsenal for the first half of the season. In January 2020, Smith Rowe moved to Huddersfield Town on loan, playing a key part in keeping them up in the Championship.
Upon returning from loan, Smith Rowe established himself as a key player for Arsenal under Mikel Arteta. In July 2021, he was given the number 10 shirt vacated by Mesut Özil, and signed a long term contract.
That following season, Smith Rowe scored ten goals in the league, and was shortlisted for the Premier League Young Player of the Season and the PFA Young Player of the Year awards.
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Smith Rowe has represented every age bracket for England at youth levels. He made his senior debut against Albania on 12 November 2021, in a 5:0 FIFA World Cup qualification victory.
In the start of the 2022/23 season, Smith Rowe struggled with a groin injury, getting surgery and was unable to play for the first half of the season.
He recovered and was included in the squad in the latter half of the season, and on 1st March 2023 made a substitute appearance in the 82nd minute against Everton coming on for Bukayo Saka.
He made another substitute appearance against Bournemouth on 4th March, coming on for Leandro Trossard. He assisted Thomas Partey’s goal in the game by heading in a ball from an Arsenal corner, and was later substituted by Reiss Nelson in the 69th minute.
He also assisted Jakub Kiwior’s first Arsenal goal in the last game of the season against Wolves at home, coming off the bench as a substitute.
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